Sunday, August 16, 2009

Hog Wild

Following the end of summer camp, Leni and I have made our way down to Killeen, TX where his wonderful parents live to lay low and visit with them for the better part of a week. The first night we were here, we spent with them, and his brother, Landon, in a little house on a hunting lease north of town. We had a great time shooting both clay and real pigeons, fishing and grilling the fish right there on the side of the water, driving Leni's 4-runner over some rocks in a nearby river bed...all sorts of fun!

The guys got up early in the morning to go pig hunting. Before they returned, I heard two shots in the distance and hoped that it meant that they would come home victoriously. Sure enough, when the truck pulled in, I could see some hooves sticking up out of the bed and knew someone had been blessed. I approached and saw not one but TWO dead pigs in the back. It was a blood bath back there.

I was quite excited to watch as they guys gutted and skinned their pigs and cut them up to toss in the coolers. Once we got home, they were out in the backyard doing some more butchering and putting meat in the slow cooker and sealing it up in plastic for storage in the freezer. It was an amazing process to see yet one that, understandably, grosses out a lot of people.

I myself wasn't even raised in a hunting family so I completely understand those who can't stomach the sight of the whole thing. That being the case, I still very much admire and respect the idea of hunting for food and using animals bodies to the greatest extent possible. Two nights ago I enjoyed a feast of grilled fish where the fish was caught, prepared, grilled and eaten all in the same spot. Compare this to the chicken you may have had for dinner last night. Chances are, you bought it at the grocery store and didn't think twice about it. Let's take a closer look...the amount of time that passed from the time that the eggs was laid to the time that it found itself in your kitchen was likely close to 45 days. 45 DAYS! That's absolutely disgusting. That is such a short amount of time for an egg to be laid, wait to hatch, grow from a young chick to an unhealthy, hormone-pumped chicken that weighs twice what it should, be "couped up" with 2 million of its (physically) closest friends....some of which probably died from harsh conditions and then were ground up and fed to the survivors), be inhumanely slaughtered, packaged, and then sold in your grocery store or perhaps served to you last time you had a hankering for some wings at your local Buffalo Wild Wings.

But I hope you enjoyed it. Let us consider the short lifetime of that chicken while also acknowledging that the pig that my brother-in-law, Landon, shot probably never even heard the shot that killed it. Long, healthy life....instantly dead. As it should be.

Just to satisfy my own somewhat morbid facination with the gutting process that I observed yesterday morning and to possibly gross out you, my few but loyal readers, here are some delightful pictures: